If you've ever dreamed of becoming a
published author,this
workshop is for you. We’ll cover everything from getting started to getting an
agent, from getting your short pieces published to finding a book publisher,
from writing a query letter to writing what the publishers want. Bring your
questions. Come and get ready to be published!Special Option:Participants
are invited to bring a draft of a query letter you might use to interest an
agent or publisher in your book. You don’t need to bring anything, but if you
do, two copies would be helpful.Following the end of the formal workshop at about 3:45, Brian Henry will
be staying for at least half an hour and helping interested attendees who
didn’t have their queries critiqued earlier write query letters that will get
a yes, and you'll also get a chance to approach Michelle Meade on a one-on-one basis.

Guest speaker Michelle Meadeis an assistant editor with MIRA
Books, a HarperCollins imprint head-quartered in New York and Toronto. MIRA
publishes novels for a broad audience. They’re eager to acquire breakout and
established commercial fiction with a strong narrative drive and complex
characters across a wide spectrum, from multi-layered relationship and family
dramas that make for good book club picks to voicy contemporary reads,
thrillers and psychological suspense, sweeping historicals, speculative novels
and more.

Last year 53 MIRA titles placed on
bestseller lists (New
York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly) for a total of 225 weeks. MIRA publishes
approximately 100 books per year in all formats.

Michelle lives for the thrill of discovering new voices in
commercial fiction and helping authors produce the best books possible for
their readers. She’s most interested in complex, emotional reads, especially
those with high-tension, suspenseful plots and engaging, authentic characters.
She’s particularly looking for emotional, character-driven novels and
speculative fiction and would love to find the next Liane Moriarty and
Audrey Niffenegger.

At the workshop, Michelle will speak about what she does as an
editor, what catches her eye when an agent pitches a manuscript to her (and
what makes her give a manuscript a pass), and will answer all your questions.

Guest speaker Hannah McKinnon is the author of Time After Time(published by HarperCollins in
Britain),a novel about love, loss and second chances that’s
full of humour.

Her second and third books have been acquired by
MIRA. The first of these,The Neighbors, a novel about the implosion of two families,
is scheduled to be published March 13, 2018, and her third book a year later.

When she’s not writing novels for adults,
Hannah’s three boys give her plenty of material for children’s books. You
can read a review of Time
After Time here.

At the workshop, Hannah will be
sharing what she’s learned about being a writer, finding an agent, getting
published, and making a career as a novelist.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has
been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He
publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers,
teaches creative writing at Ryerson University, and has led workshops
everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Charlottetown. But his
proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book
published and launch their careers as authors.

Brian Henry has been a book editor, writer, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He teaches creative writing at Ryerson University. He also leads weekly creative writing courses in Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville and Georgetown and conducts Saturday workshops throughout Ontario. His proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.